Northwest Film Event Highlights – April 2015

Your cinema screens are awash with classics this month, from Nouvelle Vague touchstone Breathless to comedy classic Some Like It Hot and David Lynch's Blue Velvet, which brings Cornerhouse to a close in grand style

Feature by Simon Bland | 30 Mar 2015

Spring is here. It’s a time for rebirth, something that Manchester’s beloved Cornerhouse will be experiencing in the coming weeks as they relocate to their newfangled HOME residence. In the meantime, though, it’d be a crime to miss the venue’s final two screenings. That’s a Wrap! marks the last ever season at their iconic Oxford Road location, with Nicolas Roeg’s 1971 coming-of-age drama Walkabout (1 Apr) and David Lynch’s 1986 surreal crime tale Blue Velvet (2 Apr) providing the perfect alternative cinema send-off. This pair of modern classics should be more than enough to keep you going until the fun begins at HOME.

In Liverpool, a host of fan favourites make a welcome return to the big screen. Head to FACT and you’ll find Jean-Luc Godard’s ballsy and influential debut, Breathless (12 Apr), a film that heralded French New Wave cinema and caught the attention of Tarantino years later. Speaking of influences, Hal Ashby’s odd-couple black comedy Harold and Maude (19 Apr) also gets the re-run treatment at FACT. If you wanted to know where Wes Anderson got his twee quirks from, look no further. Oh, and before we forget, Michel Gondry’s ace sci-fi-in-disguise Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind also makes an appearance at the venue (29 Apr) – thought-provoking, bittersweet and beautifully shot, it’s definitely not to be missed.

Marilyn Monroe drops by Liverpool this month too, when Billy Wilder’s cross-dressing comedy classic Some Like It Hot screens at Liverpool Philharmonic (16 Apr). As if catching Monroe, Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis in their prime wasn’t enough, the Philharmonic will even throw breakfast or lunch into the bargain to sweeten the deal. However, those with kids may want to get down to Liverpool’s Nook and Cranny. They’ll be hosting a very special Easter screening of Aardman’s ace animation Chicken Run (1 Apr) complete with milk and cookies for the kiddies. Oh, who are we kidding? Adults too.

Too cheery for your tastes? Don’t worry, those Grimm guys are back to add some scares to your spring. Have your business cards at the ready because American Psycho pays a visit to Manchester Central Library (2 Apr) as part of Grimm Up North’s latest film season based on the works of contemporary authors. The team then round out the month with their Stephen King Season at The Dancehouse, with horror anthology Creepshow (9 Apr) and cautionary tale Pet Sematary (30 Apr). Perfect for a scary spring.